U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Planning A New Opportunity for Service (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-10
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In response to this request, the National Research Council convened five study committees. Four of these panels considered different dimensions of Corps planning (Peer Review; Adaptive Management; Analytical and Planning Methods; River Basins and Coastal Systems; This report's Foreword explains the study panels in greater detail, and Chapter 1 summarizes those panel reports.
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Corps infrastructure and operations, however, represent only a subset of a much larger national water resources infrastructure that includes projects from other federal agencies (e.g., the Bureau of Reclamation) , state and local governments, and the private sector.
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These conditions have changed, however, and today the Corps is in a situation in which it must maintain and operate an extensive water resources infrastructure to serve both traditional purposes and a new restoration mission, while the prospects for constructing new civil works structures have diminished. This contemporary setting, recognized in the reports from the 216 study panels, suggests a need for some reorientation of emphasis within the Corps of Engineers civil works program for water resources planning.
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Portfolio planning does not mean that there is no longer a need for new investment, but it does mean evaluating new investments in the context of the condition and operations of existing physical infrastructure. Portfolio planning does not mean that the Corps program will no longer serve traditional navigation and flood risk management needs, but it does mean that these needs can no longer primarily determine how past project investments are operated and new project investments evaluated.
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Expanding Economic Analysis for Portfolio Planning The benefit-cost (national economic development, or NED) analysis that underpins Corps of Engineers planning studies rests on principles documented in the "Principles" section of the federal Principles and Guidelines (P&G)
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The absence of such information, however, can cloud debates regarding the merits of and methods in Corps planning studies. In addition, although restoration studies are usually viewed in environmental terms by most interested parties, the Corps has not adequately emphasized the fact that restoration measures often yield traditional NED benefits (e.g., when wetland rehabilitation reduces flood peaks and thus provides NED flood damage reduction benefits)
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g) Recommendations that would entail significant expenditures for changes of physical infrastructure, or that would entail further study time and resources regarding potential shifts in project purposes, should require additional congressional authorization.
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Increasing complexities and the interdisciplinary breadth of Corps planning studies, however, combined with limits in the agency's budget, make it impractical for the Corps to employ a full suite of analysts at every district office. Moreover, personnel needs vary across studies, and planning for smaller, less expensive projects will likely require less analytical sophistication than will portfolio planning studies.
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A program of continuing regional assessments can serve as the basis for setting portfolio planning program priorities. These regional assessments, which could include comparisons of water issues between regions and longitudinal studies in select regions, should be periodically conducted in order to help identify key water resources issues of federal-level importance.
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Current reconnaissance study and study cost share guidelines, however, may inhibit studies that will entail these more comprehensive perspectives. A review of the applicability of reconnaissance study cost limitations, of the importance of distinguishing between the reconnaissance and feasibility study stages, and possible modifications of study cost-sharing requirements, should thus be undertaken, with subsequent adjustments made to advance portfolio planning.
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